


She-Devil

by Desparado



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Heavy Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26510668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desparado/pseuds/Desparado
Summary: Despite your protests, Geralt leads your company to a village that you previously swore you would never return to. And it proves to be a deadly mistake.
Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion/Reader
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Canon typical violence; Swearing; Badassery; Girl Power; Angst; Lots of pain

The tavern was heaving with locals, all glaring one way or another at your table. Despite staring at your ale- which you had been for quite some time- your peripheral vision caught every grimace and snarl, knowing exactly who it was aimed at and why. “I never get used to this,” Yennefer sighed, swirling her drink in her hand as she sat opposite you, “The feeling like a fight is going to start at any minute.”  
“Don’t worry I’m not in the mood to fight.” Geralt grumbled, taking a long swig before pulling some coins from his pocket. Jaskier swiftly leant across the table to him and snatched them from his hand, grinning from ear to ear, “It’s your round Geralt!” He argued as the witcher began to frown at him, though his expression softened as he accepted the bard’s justification. You heard a question being asked then noticed the silence afterwards. “Y/n?” The call snapped your gaze up to Jaskier as he stood up by the end of the table, offering you a thin smile, “Drink?”  
“Ah no, thanks. I’m actually gonna head back to the room I think.”  
“What’s going on, love? You’ve been awfully quiet.” Jaskier enquired, his eyebrows furrowing.  
“Yes… you’ve not been your snarky self since we got here, what’s wrong?” Yennefer added as she leant forwards on the table closer to you. You met her gaze, her violet irises glistening with concern. “I’m fine, just tired.” You replied, offering your best smile to them both.  
“That’s a lie, you’re not telling us something.” Jaskier said, just as you all picked up on a harsh scrape of a wooden chair leg on stone. Without looking, you heard someone stomping out of the tavern, followed by more steps. When they neared your table, you picked up on their snickers and whispers as they passed, “Back again, Devil?”  
“Leave now scum.” A silence passed and the other patrons began talking amongst themselves again, filling the room with its usual noise as you released a slow quiet breath. “I wonder what’s gotten a bee in their bonnet.” Jaskier pondered before he slipped away towards the bar for another round. “Wow, you know how to make an impression don’t you Geralt?” Yennefer teased.  
“I would normally agree, but I’ve never been here before.” Geralt replied. You felt his body move slightly on your right and you knew he was looking at you. Continuing your stare-off with your cup, you quickly came to terms with the fact that you were going to be getting into a fight here sooner or later, you just needed to decide when.  
The night was drawing to a close, the moon having reached her peak in the sky, and a bitter wind was crawling in through the gap under the door. Jaskier was telling one of his tall tales whilst Yen laughed and Geralt drank away his embarrassment. With less locals here now, you could allow yourself to glance around the room and take it in; the animal heads on the beams, the small paintings done by a local artist hanging proudly on the walls, even the roaring fireplace with dark orange tiles that surrounding the mantlepiece… the tavern hadn’t changed. It actually made you angry: despite everything that happened, this place was still the same- still old and dirty and dark- and it proved to you that the people of this village hadn’t changed either. Sighing, you knew the men were probably standing outside, waiting. Waiting for you to step outside so they could welcome you back. But this time you were faster, stronger, and less empathetic. “Y/n?” Yen’s voice disturbed your thoughts and you glanced at her. “Please you’re scaring me, what’s wro-”  
“Nothing.” You said sharply, glancing at the three of them as they stared back, wide-eyed. “Just remember that I said I didn’t want to come here.” You stood up from your seat and pulled your cloak on, tying it loosely before patting your sheathed daggers that hung at your dies and leaving through the tavern door, not seeing the confused looks the trio gave each other.

The night air was certainly bitter, your breath visibly swirling up to the stars that twinkled brightly above you. The one thing you missed about this place. Not immediately seeing your ‘friends’, you took a right and headed to the inn, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. Turning the corner, you came to a stop and took a big sigh, staring at the line of 4 men that had blocked the street. “I see you’ve come back, devil.” One of the men shouted. You instantly recognised him as Gerek- his shoulder length brown hair barely hiding the scar on his right cheek. “I see you were too scared to come alone.” You retorted, feeling your heart beginning to race.  
“Oh you’ve gotten bold, haven’t you?” The taller man next to him spat. You didn’t recognise him until he stepped closer, the limp giving it away before the face. “Oh hello Tristan,” You responded, taking a step closer, “Still being Gerek’s bitch?”  
“You fucking-” Tristan snarled as he drew his sword.  
You scoffed, “Did you seriously just pull a sword on me? Do you know who I am?” You stepped into the light and pulled the cord of your cloak, letting it fall to the ground as you unsheathed your daggers and held them tightly by your sides. The others brandished their own weapons- another sword, a hoe and what looked like a wooden chair leg. “You seem to forget your place, little rabbit.” Gerek sneered and you flinched slightly, “Don’t think we won’t hurt you again.” The memory whipped through your mind like a forceful wind- the past rearing its ugly head as you recalled the event. “I know what you’re thinking,” Gerek continued, taking another step closer as his men followed, “You think you can take us on this time because of your ‘special training’ but here you are, all alone against 4 of us.”  
“She’s not alone.” A voice casually replied behind you. Yennefer stepped forward, sword in hand, and stood by your side; there was no need to exchange any looks, the silence said it all. “Fuck this!” One of the other men huffed as he charged towards you, his hoe held high in the air. Leaping forward, you blocked his attack with one of your daggers as you span and sliced his side with the other. He fell onto his knees behind you and was beheaded by Yennefer, the smooth cut singing in the air. Then the fight began.  
Yennefer fought with Tristan as you fought Gerek and his other friend. Striking at them between dodges, you managed to stab Gerek in the thigh as the other man hit you hard with his wooden club, causing you to cry out. Swiftly, you rolled out of the way of a second attack and threw one of your daggers at him- the blade burying itself in his chest- and he dropped his club before falling to the ground. Glancing up at Yennefer, you could see she was holding her own with Tristan, successfully avoiding a fast strike and spinning around fast enough to slice his back. Suddenly a flash of steel came before you and you ducked just as Gerek swung his sword- narrowly missing your head. With one dagger, you struggled to defend yourself against his fury, slowly being backed against a wall. His attacks were sloppy but aggressive, an animalistic snarl carved into his face as he tried his hardest to best you. Fortunately, your reflexes were quick and your feet light, giving you ample chance to dodge his sword on one than one occasion, until he managed to draw his sword through the side of your right leg. You howled as you stabbed at his side, plunging the dagger deep into him before pulling away. You met his gaze as he stared at you wide-eyed, his legs soon giving way behind him, and hovered over him silently as he took his last few ragged breaths. “Y/n!” You heard Yennefer shout, followed by echoing footsteps on the cobblestone as they rushed to your side. You held onto her shoulders and you winced from the pain, seeing the patch of blood seeping through your trousers. There more footsteps and you pulled Yen behind you- gripping your dagger in your raised hand- before you sighed in relief at seeing Geralt and Jaskier. “By Gods, what happened?” Jaskier cried as he ran to you, taking your weight as he gripped your tight.  
“Those men.” Yennefer panted, “In the tavern. They weren’t talking about you-” She looked at Geralt- “They were talking about y/n.”  
Jaskier gasped, “W-what? That’s ridiculous, why would they have said that about h-”  
“Enough of that.” Geralt said, crouching to examine your leg before sighing as the blood began to drip onto the floor, “We need to fix this. Now.”

He led you all inside the inn- ignoring the shocked look from the innkeeper- then up to yours and Jaskier’s room. The bard helped you sit on the bed as Yennefer began removing your armour plating and pulling at your blood-soaked trouser leg, “Woah looks like dreams do come true.” You joked, laughing slightly as you heard Geralt snort. Jaskier rolled his eyes, pushing you back to lie down, “Now I’m going to ignore that due to your current circumstances.”  
“You mean because I might die?” Your question hung in the air like an execution, your friends and lover all stunned into silence. Geralt came to your side and mumbled to Jaskier before showing you some vials in his hand. “Ooh presents?” You joked again, noting the different colours and thicknesses of the liquids contained in each bottle. “Y/n,” Geralt said, his tone more sincere than normal, “This one-” He held up a clear bottle with a white foamy liquid inside- “I’m going to put on your cut. It’s going to hurt a lot.” You nodded at him silently, knowing him well enough to listen carefully. He showed you another bottle with a green liquid inside, “This one you drink. You need to swallow it and keep it down. Understand?” Nodding again, you took the bottle from his hand and he popped the cork on the white one, holding it over your right leg before hesitating. He glanced at Jaskier, “You’ll want to hold her.” The bard nodded and climbed onto the bed, placing an arm around your shoulder and taking your hand in his. Then Geralt looked at you, waiting for your consent. You swallowed hard, “This is gonna be like that ghoul bite, isn’t it?”  
“Worse.” He admitted, still looking at you. Taking a deep breath, you looked to Yennefer, then Jaskier, then back at Geralt, before pulling the cork on your green ‘medicine’ with your teeth, “Fuck, okay do it.”  
As soon as the white foam touched your skin, a deep, powerful burn began to rip through your leg. You gasped from the shock before you screamed, the cork still stuck in your mouth as you bit down hard on it. Time slowed down as the pain spread like wildfire. You saw it bubbling like acid, yet it also looked like sea foam as the waves crash onto the sand. You heard muffled voices and managed to tear your eyes away from your wound to meet Geralt’s eyes, his lips moving to shape words. Squinting, you tried to understand him when he grabbed the green bottle from your hand- the contact thrusting you back into real time with the very real pain. “Drink!” He shouted at you. You bit down on the cork again and cried out in agony, gripping Jaskier’s hand like the jaws of a beast. You felt the bard gently lift your chin as Geralt then brought the bottle to your lips. Jaskier’s voice whispered in your ear, “Please darling, drink. For me.” You squeezed your eyes shut and nodded feverishly, spitting the cork out and opening your mouth wider. If someone melted down coins and mixed it with sea water, that is exactly what you tasted as the green liquid pooled on your tongue and flowed down your throat. “Good girl, well done, I’m so proud of you.” Jaskier was muttering as he kissed your temple and held you just as tightly as you did him. You tried to concentrate on the gruesome aftertaste rather than the torturous pain that was spreading up to your hip, your voice cracking from the endless sobs and whimperings. Geralt held your other hand the whole time, firm but not harshly, whilst he observed your wound. As the pulsating burn had spread throughout your entire right side, a wave of nausea came up from your stomach and into your head, bringing with it a rush of light-headedness. Suddenly you felt like you were floating, the sound of your heartbeat in your ears began to numb the pain. “Yen- do something!” You heard Jaskier’s voice say, then you opened your eyes and saw Geralt step back as she knelt by your side, her hand on your cheek. She whispered something you couldn’t hear, which you were going to ask her to repeat, until you were overcome with extreme fatigue and felt your muscles relax as the pain drifted away and your vision blurred into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following your near-death experience, you awaken to another problem which forces you to reveal your past to the love of your life, your sister in arms and your fighting mentor… will they still see you the same way afterwards?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Canon typical violence; Swearing; Angst; Hurt/Comfort; Soft!everyone cause we all need it.

You awoke slowly, blinking against the harsh light that was streaming in through the window. The distant sounds of crying and angry shouts brought you further out of your slumber as they grew closer. Your eyes flicked around the room, seeing cloaks hung over a chair at the end of the bed, a row of bags by the door, and a figure leaning over a table at the other side of the room, humming a quiet tune. “Jask?” You croaked, clearing your throat afterwards. He span round and beamed at you, running to your side, “Y/n my love, how are you feeling?”  
“Tired, sore,” You glanced down at your legs, covered by the bedsheet, “How’s my leg?”  
“Healing slowly.” He smiled. You gazed at him, noting the glint in his eye wasn’t as bright as normal. You could also see how his smile only reached his mouth; his eyes seemingly unaware of the emotion he was trying to portray. “Jask what’s wrong?”  
“Nothing my love.”  
“You’re a terrible liar,” You snorted, trying to pull yourself up into a seated position, “Please tell me.” His ‘smile’ finally dropped as his gaze flicked between your eyes, swallowing hard as he inhaled sharply. “We’ve got a problem.” He answered, just as more shouts were heard outside. The door to your room swung open and Yen walked in with Geralt. They both saw you and gave you a thin smile before joining you. “Hey,” Yen greeted you, “How are you feeling?”  
“I’m healing slowly, apparently.” You replied, before looking at Geralt, “But I’m good, thanks to your potions.” He gave you a silent nod then looked away. You felt a deep pit in your stomach as you glanced at the three of them, seeing the way they were trying to convince you everything was okay; but as the cries outside began more violent in nature, it didn’t take a scholar to put the clues together. “Have they told you?” You asked to the room, your three companions all looking up at you in surprise.  
“Told us what?” Jask responded.  
You offered them a small smile, “Have they told you… why they hate me?”  
“They’re angry about the men,” Yen answered, “But I tried to expla-”  
“No, that’s not it.” You interrupted, “Do you know what happened last time I was here?” All three of them stared blankly at you. “I’ll take that as a no…” You sighed deeply, shifting further up the bed until your back was fully resting on the headboard. “I… used to live here. I was born here.” You squeezed your eyes shut as you spoke, not daring to look at them, “When I had just come to womanhood, my parents tried to marry me off to some of the men in the village, but I refused.” You opened your eyes and stared out of the window at the rising sun, “I wanted to see the world, learn new things, meet all manners of people… but my parents didn’t accept that, nor did the bachelors of the village.” A tear rolled down your face as the memories poured in, “There was an argument, one man in particular was adamant he would have me, and so he followed me into the forest with some of his friends and tried to-” your voice broke as a sob escaped your lips. You felt a hand on yours and turned to see Jask smiling at you. Yen held her hand over her mouth as she looked at you with sympathetic eyes, Geralt’s gaze was still on the ground, but you saw his jaw tensing as he swallowed. “I managed to get a knife from one of the men and lashed out like an animal, screaming and slashing at anyone who came near. I caught one of the men across the face before I ran further into the forest and hid.” You paused for breath. Willing your thumping heart to slow down. “The man with the scar last night,” Yen spoke up, “Was he one of them?” Your eyes flicked to her and you nodded. “Gerek,” You croaked, “He was the one who organised it. By the time I got back to the village, the others had already returned and declared that I had gone mad and attacked them in a frenzy, that I was a crazed witch and needed to be burned at the stake.” You heard Jask sigh as he held your hand tighter. “I killed five men trying to escape, including my own father. And now they see me as a demon. A monster. That was 10 summers ago… and I promised myself I would never return.” Suddenly there was a pounding sound below them- like something slamming into a door. Geralt ran to the window and cursed as he looked below. He turned to look at you all, “We need to get out of here.” Yen and Geralt immediately began grabbing bags as Jask quickly bound your leg for travel. You hissed at his actions but smiled when he looked up at you worryingly. He helped dress you before holding you up next to the door. You frowned as you glanced at the witcher, “Geralt, the villagers are all outside waiting for us, how are we going to get to the stables without drawing attention to ourselves?” He paused in thought, crafting a viable plan. Then Yennefer smiled and looked at you, “I’ll give them a distraction.”  
The heat from the sun was beginning to climb as the crowd had grown outside of the inn. As the morning wore on, more came as the story of the she-devil spread through the village. Many remembered the story, but it had also been twisted and exaggerated over the years- of the she-devil born from woods who came and lustfully sought after the men before viciously killing those who denied her. The she-devil with powers to manipulate the mind and appear as an innocent girl before growing into a grotesque beast and ripping at your skin with her knife-like claws. As the villagers all stood at the steps to the inn, screaming for justice at the loss of some of their own, a shout from a woman stilled the protest, “Look there! It’s the she-devil! She’s escaping!” They turned and saw a dark shadow slip into one of the streets and they all began to run after it, wielding their burning torches and pitchforks as well as a few swords. They ran so blindly that they continued to sprint deeper into the village without stopping to think whether a beast really would escape by going further _in_.  
The inn door creaked open slowly and Geralt peered around before stepping out. Sword in hand, he led the way as Jask and you followed him with Yen close behind. You had to walk the opposite way to the villagers, past the fountain to the stables which were a few feet from the edge of the village. Each step was agony, but you did your best to move quickly. You felt a momentary relief as you reached the stables, the horses already tensing up as you arrived, clearly sensing the danger. You held onto the edge of the stable wall as Jaskier got Pegasus ready and led him out, before taking your hand and helping you up. Jask mounted behind you, his arm firmly around your waist, “We’ll be out of here soon.” He whispered reassuringly before kissing behind your ear. Geralt and Yennefer were close behind, just mounting their horses as you all heard a distant rumble. Flicking your heads, your heart sank as you saw the crowd, fires burning and anger raised, as they began to run towards you all. When rocks began flying through the air, your heart broke. “Let’s go! Now!” Geralt shouted as he kicked Roach into a canter. Pegasus soon followed, carrying you and Jask, As Yennefer rode behind, deflecting any rocks that came dangerously close.

The burning sun had reached its peak above you, the river water glistening as it flowed downstream alongside a blossoming meadow. You were hours away from the village and decided to take a well-earned rest. Geralt was cleaning your wound as Jaskier set to refilling the waterskins, Yennefer keeping an eye on the road behind, just in case. You had been silent since you left the village, only your tear-stained cheeks gave you away as you avoided the gaze of your companions. You didn’t even groan when Geralt tightened the bandage on your leg, which made him nervous. “Y/n… are you okay?” He asked.  
“I’m fine, thank you.” You replied, not looking at him.  
He sighed, “Well we’re gonna stay here for a bit, let the horses rest before continuing on, okay?” You answered him with a nod and he stood up, walking away behind you as you felt more tears come. After all this time, your old neighbours and friends hated you as passionately as ever, still denying that you were the victim of a crime. It angered you- no, enraged you to think that maybe there were other girls being treated the same- being used as livestock for the trading amongst men. Then you began imagining a just punishment, maybe you could go back and poison their water, or kill their animals. No, maybe you could set fire to a few buildings; with the right wind, the fire would spread rapidly and take the whole village down. You smiled at your dark thoughts as they swirled in your head, then jumped as a cold hand was pressed on your shoulder. “Sorry love, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Jask said as he sat next to you, offering you a waterskin. “Want some?” You meekly smiled then took it, enjoying the cool water as it flowed down your throat. Once satisfied, you gave it back to him, “Thank you.”  
“No problem,” He smiled brightly, “How do you feel?”  
“Well it didn’t as much when Geralt rebandaged it so I assume it’s getti-”  
“I don’t mean your leg… how do you feel?”  
You squinted at him, “I don’t understand.”  
“Well,” He turned to face you, taking your hand and placing it on his knee as he traced patterns on the skin with his finger, “You were just driven away from your hometown for a second time… You seem awfully quiet and I’m worried, please talk to me.” A cold breeze drifted past you and you shivered, the dark thoughts still echoing in your head. You opened your mouth to speak then closed it, exhaling sharply. Jask responded by lifting your hand and pressing a kiss to it, gazing at you with his kind and loving eyes. “I… I hate them,” You finally admitted, “I hate them with every fibre of my being. At first, I was angry because no one helped me, then the days turned to years and I moved on. But coming back I-” You looked out to the horizon, tears in your eyes blurring the view as you felt the anger growing in your chest again, “I feel so used and discarded. They turned me into a scary story they tell their children at night and it makes me so angry!” Your heart was pounding, your blood feeling hot and thick under your skin. “I want to punish them! I want to destroy them all like they destroyed my life.” You flicked your gaze to Jask and saw his eyes grew wide. His mouth was open slightly and you assumed him to be fearful, assumed that he too now believed the stories and was afraid of you. But instead of pulling away, he wrapped his arms around you and embraced you, kissing the top of your head. You were stunned for a moment before leaning into his warmth. “My dear, sweet y/n,” He whispered, “These people have been grossly unkind to you, but the gods will give them their dues.” He kissed your head again then pulled away slightly to look at you, “But you do not need to demonise yourself for that to happen. Let destiny rule on their consequences, you only need to work on healing yourself and letting go of the past.” Tears were stinging your eyes as he spoke, and you stifled a sob, “But I can’t let go. I tried and now I’m afraid it’ll never happen!” Another presence joined you both and Jaskier released you. You looked over to see Yen kneel down in front of you, smiling thinly, “I understand that feeling. I spent so long being angry at my family, at the people around me, that it almost consumed me. Trust me when I say the path of destruction is chaotic and unforgiving- it’ll hurt you far more than them.” She placed her hand on your cheek then moved it to your shoulder.   
“What matters now,” Geralt’s voice said as he stepped into view, next to Jaskier, “Is that you have us- we all care for you and we will do our best to help you heal.” His words were so kind and sincere, you had never heard him speak like that. The three of them looked at you warmly: your found family. A sob overcame you and spilled out, Jaskier hugged you again tightly. Yen moved forward and embraced you from your other side, her head learning on your shoulder. “Come on Geralt, you know you want to get in on this.” Jask teased him. You heard a small ‘hmm’ then felt him rest his head on top of yours as his arms encircled you all. A deep sigh escaped you, as your fragile heart felt like it was being carefully cradled. It was a new feeling, one you never got when you were younger; but here you were, being held by a bard, a mage and a witcher… and it was the best feeling in the world.


End file.
